KUALA LUMPUR – Eradicating hardcore poverty does not equate to the total elimination of poverty in a country, said Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli, adding that it is relative and the figures fluctuate from year to year.
“If that’s the case (zero poverty), we don’t need a government, and people don’t need to pay tithe,” he told Dewan Rakyat.
Rafizi said this in response to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Abd Muttalib (Maran-PN) regarding whether Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s pledge to eliminate hardcore poverty was simply perceived as ‘candies’ to the people, particularly those who are poor.
He went on to explain that eradicating poverty involves the government annually lifting the reported number of hard-core poor families out of the poverty bracket.
“According to reports, there are 18,445 hardcore poor families nationwide, which means that the government programmes have successfully elevated these 18,445 families, along with any other impoverished family in Malaysia.
“If the count stands at 20,000 families, then 20,000 families will be lifted. Likewise, if it reaches 40,000 families, the initiative will extend to lifting 40,000 families out of poverty,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Rafizi also said that the government is prioritising agriculture as a means to decrease the percentage of hardcore poor households in Sabah.
He said that despite the reduction in the national hardcore poor rate from 1% to 0.2% from 2020 to 2022, the percentage of hardcore poor households in Sabah remained high, at 1.2%, about six times more than the national rate.
Eight districts in Sabah recorded the highest rate of hardcore poor households: Tongod (5.9%), Beluran (5%), Pitas (4.8%), Kinabatangan (4.6%), Kota Marudu (4%), Tuaran (2.6%), Ranau (2.4%), and Lahad Datu (2.4%), he added.
“We can compare the situation in Sabah to the whole nation; the (hardcore poor) rate in these eight districts is over ten times higher,” he said when answering Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s (Semporna-Warisan) question on the poverty rate in Sabah.
Despite successfully raising the income of 100% of hardcore poor families in Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, and Negri Sembilan, he said, it is more difficult to do the same in Sabah considering poor infrastructure and facilities in rural areas, which makes it more challenging to create job opportunities.
As such, the government is focusing on imposing integrated agriculture programmes in Sabah.
“I want to thank the Sabah state government for being the most accommodating in terms of providing land. That is why, after one year of IPR-Programme Usahawan Tani (Intan) involving 390 hardcore poor families, 504 acres of land have been provided (for the programme) throughout the eight districts (mentioned).
“It involved different crops such as corn, chilli, and soybeans,” he said.
Rafizi said the ministry is expecting the 390 families to be removed from the hardcore poor category in two years, with approximately RM2,200 to RM5,600 of monthly income per family. – March 14, 2024